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"Amnesty International" has released the report about state of freedom in the world. The section devoted to Azerbaijan reads that restrictions on freedom of expression were tightened. Legislation and practice on the prohibition of torture and other ill-treatment fell short of international standards, including in the failure to investigate torture allegations, Turan reports.

The report says that independent journalists and civil society activists continued to face harassment and imprisonment on charges of hooliganism and libel. The authorities failed to conduct a thorough investigation into the death in custody of a human rights defender who was convicted after an unfairtrial and denied necessary medical care.

According to the report still in 2009 the UN Committee against Torture expressed concern over Azerbaijan’s failure to implement the Convention against Torture in legislation and practice, including by prosecuting those responsible for torture. The Committee was also concerned at the extradition of Chechens to the Russian Federation and of Kurds to Turkey, where they risked torture.

The report prescribes that street protests are banned. Activists who attempte to hold demonstrations are reportedly arrested by police. In March, Parliament passed several amendments to the laws regulating the mass media.

Opposition supporters and groups attempting to campaign against the referendum were reportedly intimidatedand harassed by the police. Independent journalists and civil society activists continued to be charged and imprisoned with the criminal offences of defamation and hooliganism.

In November a court in Baku sentenced two well-known youth activists, Emin Abdullayev (blogger name Emin Milli) and Adnan Hajizade, to 30 and 24 months’ imprisonment respectively. They had been convicted of hooliganism and inflicting minor bodily harm. The charges were reportedly fabricated to punish their non-violent dissenting views as part of a continued clampdown on government critics.

The report says, in the autonomous republic of Naxcivan the authorities continued to harass and obstruct the work of journalists.